Friendly Thieves
by togo65
Summary: There's a new outlaw in town - and she's one that Robin doesn't want around. Allan/OC friendship, but possibly more later on. Set in Series 3.
1. Chapter 1 The Trap Was Set And Ready

**Disclaimer: I do not own Robin Hood/ Robin Hood BBC. The storyline and OCs are mine, though.**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

The trap was set and ready. Robin Hood and his gang wouldn't know what had hit them.

At least, that was her plan.

* * *

Susanna was walking through Sherwood Forest when she heard a noise somewhere off to her left. Snapping her head round, she focused her eyes on the gaps between the trees and quickly saw a body. Instead of reacting, though, she pretended not to have seen him and continued to walk as before.

It was not a long time after that that Susanna heard another noise. The man was definitely tracking her – she was sure of that – but she had to lose him. Instead of running, Susanna decided to use another technique and stopped in her tracks, sitting down on a tree stump just behind her.

Looking around absentmindedly, Susanna gazed at the wildlife around her, looking as if she was just taking a nice walk on a peaceful Sunday afternoon. Susanna heard the man approach her from behind but made it seem as though she had not heard him by looking surprised when he stood swiftly in front of her, saying,

"And what would a pretty little thing like you be doing out here all alone, then?"

Susanna remained sitting on the tree stump and sarcastically replied, "Waiting for the moon to fall to earth."

"Ooh, a sarcastic and pretty little thing!"

"As a matter of fact, I'm not that little." Susanna stood up as straight as she could manage, walked the few steps over to the man and piercing into his eyes with her eyes. His eyes were blue (as were hers, sort of), and something about the way he talked and carried himself told her that she should know who he was, yet a name couldn't come to her mind.

Her eyes were barely below his and Allan was surprised at how tall she was – she had looked quite small when sitting down. Her eyes were grey-blue and her hair was light blonde – but not too light. Her hair fell down over her shoulders and was straight – as if it had been cared for recently, rather than the sort of hair a peasant would have.

Susanna continued, "But if you wish to call me pretty, that's perfectly acceptable."

Allan laughed and replied, "I was actually saying pretty with the little. As in – that rock's pretty little. Not as in pretty and little."

"Charming," Susanna (once again) sarcastically replied. "You have a way with women." With that, Susanna went to walk around Allan to continue on but was stopped and asked, "Excuse me, but what do you think you're doing?"

"Waiting for an answer." Allan found the woman amusing. She had a sense of humour similar to Kate's, but seemed as if she knew a great deal more. Allan watched her face as she tried to think of a retort.

"Be more specific, sir, I haven't all day."

"Sir?" Allan questioned, "Who said I was a sir?"

"Well I had to address you as something since you forgot to introduce yourself properly," Susanna jokingly spat, "and I couldn't exactly call you Miss, could I?"

Allan laughed whilst she looked up and down his body. He stopped laughing when he noticed her eyeing him up.

"Then again," she said, "I probably could."

Susanna walked off again and got a little further before Allan stood in front of her again and said to her, "Funny little thing, aren't you?"

"Haven't we already had the discussion about my height? Or is it that you're the type of man who treats every woman as inferior, as if they are of a smaller worth than you – resulting in the `little`?"

Allan honestly had no idea of what to say back. It was true that he mostly addressed women as `little`, but the woman in front of him was the first one to point it out. He'd always just done it naturally.

"Well, sorry," was all Allan could think of to say in the end. "Now answer my original question – what are you doing here?"

"Looking for Robin Hood."

Her answer threw Allan for a moment, as he was not expecting her to say that. _But_, he thought, _she looks rich so maybe she's just making a donation or something_.

"Alright, I'll take you to him. But I'll need to blindfold you when we get to a certain point because Robin would freak if he knew I'd-"

"How do I know you're not lying and are going to take me somewhere else?" she interrupted.

Allan sighed and took out the outlaw sign that he hung around his neck. He watched her examine it and after she thought it an acceptable sign of him being part of the group, she nodded and let him take her to the camp. She didn't talk again, and she didn't even complain when he blindfolded her.

The reason for that was because Susanna was thinking to herself, calculating plans. This man leading her was Allan-a-Dale. She was sure of it. The accent, the appearance and his character all matched the description she'd been given and assured her of who he was. And if he wasn't Allan, and was going to kidnap her instead, he would learn that not only is she not little, but also that she wouldn't be kidnapped without a fight.


	2. Chapter 2 Distracted

Once safely into the camp, Allan removed Susanna's blindfold. "What's your name?" he asked her, positive that she would argue back that he never told her his.

"Ellen," Susanna replied. She had to lie about her name for if he was the traitor Much had told her about, she would have to watch him closely. Hopefully he wouldn't detect her lies – as a compulsive liar he may be able to tell these things.

Allan was surprised that she had answered so obediently and said, "Nice name."

"I'd say the same, but you've still forgotten to tell me your name," Susanna jeered back, it being the answer Allan had expected.

"Make yourself at home," Allan said to her, going to sit down at the table.

Susanna watched Allan put his feet up onto the table and paused briefly, before going to the food supply and taking out something to eat.

"Hey!" Allan exclaimed, jumping up and grabbing the food from her. "We have to ration our food supplies you know – can't just have strangers eat the things that keep us alive!"

"Yes, well," Susanna replied, snatching the bread back from him, "you said make yourself at home and the first thing that I do when I get home is eat." Susanna took a large bite from the bread but gave it back to Allan – she knew how hard it was for outlaws to find regular food supplies.

Allan put the bread back with the rest of the food and as he did so, said to Susanna, "You'll get along great with Much then."

Susanna stifled a laugh and innocently asked (whilst sitting down at the table), "And who is Much?"

Allan sat opposite her and replied, "Robin's manservant. Well, more friend I guess. He's one of the group."

"And speaking of group, where are they?"

"Various places," Allan replied.

"Well, then," Susanna placed her head on her now-crossed arms on the table. "Tell me of the men in this group, and then you can tell me where each of them are."

Allan thought that she sounded like a spy, but decided to ignore it. He'd tell them what each one of them was doing, but not where.

"Well, firstly there's Robin, who's with Much-"

"More description, please." Susanna requested, causing Allan to think of her as a rather demanding person – so probably a noble.

"Robin's a people-person and a born leader. Is that enough info for one?"

"Oui, oui (a/n – pronounced `wee wee`)," Susanna replied.

"I beg your pardon?" Allan asked, wondering if she needed he toilet or something.

"It's French for yes, and do continue."

Allan sat back and crossed his arms stubbornly, "And what if I don't wan to?"

Susanna stood sharply and told him, "Then I'll run out of this camp and get my bearings so I can tell the Sheriff of Nottingham where you're camped. I know there's a no-killing policy round so I doubt you'll seriously injure me."

Allan stood as well, and placed his hands on the table as she had. They were facing straight into each other's eyes as Allan said, "I bet you wouldn't make it."

"Five silver pieces says I can."

"Easy money." Was all that Allan could say before Susanna shot off from the table towards the exit. The camp Allan had taken her to was the outlaw's outside camp – north Sherwood Forest. All Susanna had to do was run up the steep hill quickly.

Susanna was very quick for a female, but Allan was quick for a male and caught her halfway. He didn't mean to but it stopping her, pushed her to the ground, falling himself. He ended up on top of her but she was laughing so hard that he doubted she minded.

"Excuse...me" Susanna said in between laughs, "but...an... unmarried... woman should... not... be... in such... a position." Susanna rolled Allan over so that she was on top of him.

"And this position is much better?" Allan asked, smiling broadly.

His smile quickly faded, however, when Susanna shot up like a dart and ran for the exit. Allan cursed under his breath but was relieved to find her at the top with her hands over her eyes.

"Don't worry, Allan, your hideout location's safe with me."

Susanna cursed in her head when she realised her mistake.

"How do you know my-" Allan was stopped mid-sentence by the sound of shouts and an explosion. Naturally, Susanna uncovered her eyes but this went unnoticed by Allan who took her arm and dragged her back into the camp, forgetting momentarily that Susanna knew his name.

"I hope the others are alright." Allan said to himself more than to Susanna. Susanna didn't need to hope, though, she knew they were alright. It was her trap, after all. A couple would be knocked out, a couple others drugged. But none seriously harmed – she made sure of that.

What she should've made sure of, though, was that all of the outlaws were in place for the trap. She hadn't known that one of them would not have been with the others, and Susanna hoped that the others were all together.

Susanna was busy thinking up a plan and missed Allan getting ready for a fight. "You stay here and I'll go see what's happened." Just as he was about to leave, he rethought and walked over to Susanna, picking up a long piece of rope.

"Sorry about this," he told her before tying her hands to a thin tree.

"It's okay, just hurry to make sure your friends are okay," Susanna smiled at Allan and he grimaced back.

When Susanna thought that Allan was out of earshot, she began to escape. She didn't have very long before Allan got back and she needed to be gone before he was back. Susanna shook her wrist in a deliberate movement pattern and a knife slid out from her left sleeve. Catching it with her fingers, Susanna used her magic and cut the rope.

Once free, Susanna placed the knife back and looked around her. She needed to steal things that could obviously be taken as belongings of the members of the group. Once she had got a hefty amount of loot placed in her bag, Susanna started messing up the room. She kick the table and chairs over, knocked the saucepans all over the floor, put things where they weren't meant to be, threw belongings everywhere. Basically, it looked as the robbers had been robbed.

Just before she left, Susanna noticed Allan's necklace on the table. When showing it to her as proof, he'd taken it off and had held it the whole way back, placing it on the table. Susanna thought that he'd forgotten to put it back on, because he was distracted by her and the explosions.

Susanna snatched the necklace and placed it in the bag, before leaving the camp.

Susanna ran through the forest, knowing exactly where she was going. She's been tracking Robin Hood's gang for about a week now, so could plan her diversion successfully. She knew that on a Sunday, they went to Locksley, and knew the path that they took back. Placing ropes to hang them up by their legs, and putting up poison arrows was easy enough. Making the explosion was the hard bit – exactly the right elements had to be used, in exactly the right way etc. Susanna had spent the day perfecting it.

Susanna was reaching the end of the forest when Allan came running up behind her. Susanna, despite hearing footsteps from others, stopped and said to him, "Well you just keep on popping up, don't you?"

Allan drew closer to her and asked, "I can't let you leave with our stuff."

"So you've seen the camp. Well, what can, I say, my bedroom is usually as messy and you did say-"

"Make yourself at home," Allan said bitterly, closing in the gap between them. He was surprised that she didn't try anything – surprises seem to occur often with her.

"I'm sorry, but referring to your previous statement, I'm afraid to say that I am going to leave with this stuff. I need it for a plan, you see."

"You'll have to stop me from stopping you then."

"I'm sorry but," Susanna replied as shouts were heard (Robin and the others had reached Susanna's second set of traps that she and Allan had missed– she always had a backup), "like your friends, I'm going to distract you and run for it."

"You can't distract me. I'm un-distractible." Him and Susanna were now just a foot away.

"Oh, I think I can." With that, Susanna grabbed Alan's shirt at the arms (her hands were free for her bag was slung over her neck) and kissed him forcefully. She never did this usually when escaping, but somehow thought it would be fun since Allan was a guy she got on well with.

Their kiss was longer than a normal kiss, and when Susanna broke apart, both of them had to admit to themselves that they were a bit upset that she had. But the kiss worked as planned – Allan was too shocked to be reacting properly and Susanna ran away as fast as she could. Allan was there for several seconds before Kate and Much broke him from his daze.

"Allan, you just let the thief get away!" Kate exclaimed.

"Sorry, I just got distracted."


	3. Chapter 3 Quite A Character

"What did she look like again?" Much asked, wanting to know everything about the thief.

"She had long, straight, light hair. She wore a bright blue dress. She sounded a lot more posh than I do and was about this high." Allan signalled to just below his own height.

"Tall, then." Little John was one for pointing out the obvious.

"Robin..." Much walked over to the table where Robin was sat in deep concentration.

"Yes, Much?" he replied.

"You don't think it sounds like Anna, do you?" Much.

"No, she said her name was Ellen," Allan said, as he had forgotten to tell them her actual name.

"Now it sounds like Anna," was all that Robin said quietly to himself.

* * *

It was tax collecting day in Locksley so the villages were nervous in anticipation for Guy's weekly rounds. Unluckily for them, the Sheriff decided to come as well that day, for several nobles and other rich people were in Nottingham at the time and he wished to show them his surprise.

The outlaws shifted through the crowds unnoticeable, giving out the money to those who needed it, but stopped when the Sheriff began to speak.

"People of Locksley," he boomed, "I have been nothing but lenient towards you when concerning your taxes; I have been generous to you and made sure that you are looked after. And what do you give me in return? Hmm?" The Sheriff walked along his platform, looking down menacingly at the crowds. "I'll tell you what I get – my dignity robbed from me!"

Gasps were heard from amongst the crowd and from the nobles stood behind him as Guy ordered, "Bring the men forward."

Six men were led by guards up onto the platform and were each placed next to a contraption. Robin now knew the platform's purpose – there were six blocks of wood that each had a metal holding on them – a contraption used to hold hands whilst being cut off.

"Please, sir! We didn't mean to-" one of the man desperately began to beg as his wrist was locked under the metal strip.

"Quiet!" the Sheriff barked, "These men have stolen from me! From my own stores in Nottingham! And since they are from Locksley, I thought that it would appropriate for them to be punished here."

"You're forgetting, Sheriff," Susanna shouted as the crowd parted into two sections to enable her to walk forward. The Sheriff snapped his head towards her in surprise – she was wearing peasant clothes now and no simpleton ever spoke against him. "That the rightful punishment for stealing is a flogging. What else have these men done to deserve such treatment?"

"Oh, be quiet, you stupid girl!" the Sheriff's temper rose immensely. "I have no time for your questions. Slice them off, guards!"

But Susanna would have none of it. She knew a couple of the men and of their demanding families – she would not let them suffer. "Sheriff, I only need your attention for a little longer."

"You're not worth my attention!" was her reply from the angered Sheriff. "You have done nothing to earn it."

"Nothing yet," Susanna said before dispensing into the crowd.

Robin and the others had been too busy with setting up a rescue for the six men that they had not noticed what Susanna had looked like – all except Allan. "Hey, Robin, that's 'er!"

The five men and Kate looked towards her and Much stammered, "Robin, that's...that's..."

"Anna." Robin hissed.

Susanna knew that in a minute's time, the six men would be one hand down – so immediate attention was required. She ran to the noble's stalls carriages and started fighting with the guards and stealing the noble's possessions. She ran through the market, kicking various peasants' stalls over and stealing tomatoes and other fruits which she threw at the guards.

The Sheriff was not amused.

"Arrest her!" he shouted, whilst Gisborne went to capture her.

The outlaws were situated at the edge of the crowd and were shocked when Susanna ran up to them, handing a chest of money over to Much. All Much could so was stand there and stare but as Susanna ran off to cause more havoc, he looked at Robin and once again stammered again, "Robin, that's...that's..."

Robin didn't reply to Much but sprinted after Susanna instead. What his cousin was doing there was of no concern to him – she was always an attention seeker. Why she was there in Locksley was what he needed to know.

"You know her, Much?" Allan asked as the outlaws watched Robin chase Susanna who was now running away from the guards **and** Robin.

"Oh, yes," he replied, "is she the one that stole from us?"

Allan nodded which caused Much to sigh heavily.

"What are you doing here?" Robin shouted at Susanna once he reached her and was standing opposite across a table.

"Trying to help the poor," Susanna spat at her irritating cousin.

"Knocking down their stalls, crushing their goods – not really helping, is it?"

"I have a plan," she called back to him after running off.

"You and your plans," Robin said, as he ran after her.

Susanna stopped running and drew a sword from her side from out of a pocket that a stranger would not have been able to see.

Robin looked surprised to see her draw out a sword so unexpectantly but was even more surprised when she started fighting him with it. He fought back, naturally.

After a while of fighting, the two of them realised that the Sheriff had called the guards away once he'd seen that they were fighting each other. Susanna got the upper hand and knocked her cousin to the floor, before running back to the outlaws.

"Thanks, Much," she said to Much, as she punched him in the face and took her money back. She placed the chest in her bag as she ran back to the spot where she had stood before. The crowd once again parted for her. She thrust her hands into the air as a guard came and pointed an arrow at her.

"Have I got your attention yet?" she called to the Sheriff. (The outlaws had shifted back behind a fence so that the Sheriff didn't know where they were anymore – Robin included.)

"My dear, yes you have. And I'm afraid that I'm going to have to ask that archer to shoot you now," he replied.

"Yes, well, it's true that the guard's armour is made at a specific blacksmith parlour where a cream is used to ease the joints." Everyone in the crowd and all of the nobles looked at her with perplexed faces. "And it's also true that a certain cream can be made with the right ingredients that attract midgets. And that it's midget season."

"What is your point?"

"This is my point," Susanna said as she kicked the archer and stole his bow and quiver from him. She turned around and shot into the woods – seemingly aiming at nothing.

"What a waste of a bow. Kill her." The Sheriff waved his hands dismissively to the other guards to kill her.

"Oh, I don't think so." Susanna walked purposefully towards the platform, unafraid of the guards approaching her.

In the sky at that point, little dots of blackness could be seen erupting from the woods – and they were headed for the guards. As Susanna walked forward, guards dropped one by one to the floor, trying to itch their bodies, but doing it unsuccessfully.

Susanna was good at healing, and potion and remedy making. She had made a concoction that attracted bugs and had sneaked into the blacksmith and armoury of the castle, making sure that it was smeared on every chainmail, shield and helmet. She had then made a nest for such bugs and had hung it up in a tree near the wood. Aiming with the arrow, she hat broken the nest and let the midgets free to irritate the guards.

The Sheriff put his hand across Gisborne as Susanna walked over to the six men. He wanted to see what she did next.

Catching the keys from a guard who feel next to her, Susanna walked along the row of men, unlocking each man who then ran away for there were no guards to stop them. (The guards by this point had run into the river to try to get the cream off.)

"Well, well, well," the Sheriff said, walking over to her, "you certainly have my attention now."

"As expected," she smartly said back. Her plan had worked perfectly.

"Gisborne." The Sheriff signalled to his head of security and Gisborne grabbed Susanna's wrist, before locking it in one of the holds. The man who was to cut off the other men's wrists stood menacingly next to her. "Those men will be let free, just so long as I can have your pretty wrist."

Susanna held a finger up to pause the guard (who was not wearing armour) before cutting her hand off. "And how could I help you without my right hand?"

"Help me?" The Sheriff turned to her laughed. "How could you, a peasant, help me?"

"Why, I do believe Mr. Allan-a-Dale is a peasant but he managed to build the strong room for you." (a/n – I can't exactly remember if it was Allan or not, but it is now.:P)

Kate, Much, Allan and John exchanged surprised glances. Robin was concentrating on Susanna too much to.

"So you know about Allan-a-Dale. Lovely. Cut her hand off."

The Sheriff turned to walk off but Susanna stopped the guard once again and carried on, "I can help you in a similar way."

The Sheriff was very intrigued, so walked back up to her and asked, "How?"

"Well, he supplied you with information, and I know possibly more than him about Hood's outlaw gang. I'm not a part of the group which means that I won't have to sneak around. I care little about money so don't except much and, this is the best point, I've already tricked them once and know how to get around them – for goodness' sake, I even stole from them!"

The Sheriff stared at her. She seemed to him like a cross between Robin Hood and Allan-a-Dale himself. She had the skill of blagging, and the bravery to stand up to the rich.

"Fine. Name all of the members of the gang, now and from the past. And a little description please."

Susanna took a breath and began, loud and clear, "Robin Hood – cheeky, annoying and a show-off. Allan-a-Dale – cheeky, full of himself, and severely cocky. Much – sweet, obedient, and doesn't know when to shut up. Little John (here Susanna paused to laugh), I love his name because he's actually quite tall, and his name's John Little. Wonderful pun. Kate – only current female member of the group and she's blonde. Previous members were Will Scarlett, Djaq who married Will Scarlett, and a man who died a long time ago, but I can't remember his name. Sufficient enough?"

"Undoubtedly," he replied. Since his guards had returned from washing their armour, he felt confident enough to say, "Unlock her."

"Thank you," she said, rubbing her wrist slightly.

"What's your name?" It was Gisborne who asked this.

"Ellen," Susanna replied.

"What did you steal then?" The Sheriff asked, bored of their civilities.

But she decided to show him instead. She took her large bag off and opened it. One by one, she took the items out and presented them to him.

"Here are some bells that Little John used as a way to get into the castle. He's a hairbrush belonging to Kate. He's a bunch of cooking items belonging to Much. Here's some of Hood's arrows, and lastly, here's one of Allan-a-Dale's jackets. I didn't have much time, you see, so I couldn't get more."

The crowd held their breaths as the Sheriff inspected the items and concluded his inspection by telling Susanna, "You are now Guy's second in command. You will do what he says and are in charge of the guards. I'll also like you to make some more of potions – assuming that you made them." Susanna nodded. "Your first task is to collect the taxes for today, and clear up your mess."

The Sheriff went to walk away when Susanna remembered, "Oh and one last thing!" She took out the outlaw necklace.

The Sheriff practically ran to her and when he went to grab it, she withdrew it slightly. "Who's..."

"Let's just say that there's a very angry traitor lurking in the crowd right now."

The Sheriff laughed (a rare thing) and walked off. Guy laughed as well. In fact, most of the nobles did and the crowd did as well – more laughing at Susanna's wit in general than that comment specifically.

The outlaws were laughing as well, except Allan who had decided that he did not like this `Ellen` after all.

"Wow, she's quite a character," Kate said.

"More than you can imagine," Robin replied.


	4. Chapter 4 Settling In

**Hey! Thank you to those that have reviewed - and I'm sorry this chapter's been quite slow.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy it! :D**

* * *

"So, Sir Guy, or may I just call you Guy?" Gisborne uncharacteristically nodded. "Where exactly are you residing? Nottingham castle or back at Locksley?"

Susanna and Gisborne were riding back to Nottingham after a long day. Susanna had been appalled by the way Gisborne treated the commoners and whilst she could, she would make sure that he altered his approaches to them – even if only slightly.

"I live in my manor at Locksley, but I am staying in the castle for the meantime." Gisborne stared forward, concentrating on the road ahead, where as Susanna glanced at him from time to time.

"Why?"

"I don't think I have to tell you a reason," was his short, sharp reply.

"I think you do – I am your second in command, and if I need to find you, I need to know where you are and why?"

"Why do you?"

"Why do I what?" Susanna was quickly becoming irritated.

"Need to know why I am where I am." Gisborne looked at Susanna and she met his gaze, boldly continuing to look at him when most women would have averted their eyes by then.

"Well, if I need you in the middle of the night, and you are staying in the castle because you are wooing a woman there, I think it would be necessary for me to know beforehand – don't you?"

Her bluntness for a female shocked him, but little of his reaction appeared on his face. They looked forward once again as he replied, "A tax collector had been staying there recently and I want the place thoroughly cleaned out before I return."

"Lie."

"What?" Gisborne stopped his horse instinctively.

Susanna paused hers, turned round and as simply as she could, explained, "You're lying. The tax collector's things would have been cleared out by now and besides – he'd been living in the butcher's in Nottingham."

Gisborne had nothing to say to this so continued on in silence.

Susanna thought it best not to press the subject which is why she carried on in silence.

* * *

"The cheek of it! I'm not being funny but, who is she to go round stealing our stuff, acting all nice, taking necklaces that don't belong to her?"

None of the gang replied to Allan's outburst, so he continued, "Much, she knew your name, who is she? You said something about an Anna before."

"She's-" Much went to say before Robin cut him off.

"No, Much."

"Robin. We need to know who she is." This was John's voice – yet again stating the obvious.

"No, you don't. She'll be gone soon," was all he said.

* * *

"And this is your room." Gisborne concluded, opening the door to what was Allan-a-Dale's quarters.

"Did anyone used to stay in here?" Susanna asked.

"Yes," Gisborne told her, his gut telling him to trust her, "Allan-a-Dale. In fact, I think some of his belongings are still here."

"Thanks, Guy. Do I need to be there for dinner, or can I unpack?"

Gisborne looked at the small bags that Susanna had placed on the bed. She travelled light for a woman, he had thought.

"Unpack? That shouldn't take you long at all."

"Fine, then," she sighed, "I want to make a basic map of the castle – so I don't get lost too much."

"Fine." Gisborne curtly told her, before leaving her room immediately. It was a shame she wouldn't be at dinner, he had been hoping to introduce her to Isabella who he hoped would be taught to accept the ways of the world from Ellen.

_Never mind_, he thought, _it can wait._

* * *

After spending a few hours acquainting herself with the knooks and crannies of the castle, Susanna finally returned to her room and finished her maps.

Yes, maps – one that was simple, a plain map of where the obvious things were, in case the Sheriff or anyone ever asked to see her `map`. The other one was her actual map, with trapdoors and escape routes planned. Susanna also had her escape planned before she had anything else planned.

Susanna had unpacked her things and whilst doing so, had discovered a few belongings of Allan-a-Dale's that he'd left.

_Outlaws_, she thought, _never pause to think. Tut tut tut._

Susanna was pleased at her findings, though, when she realised that his old clothes and leather jackets could be altered to fit a woman. He wasn't far off her size and a little change here and there would be fine.

After a few more hours making new clothes for herself, Susanna finally let herself go to sleep.

* * *

In the morning, Gisborne collected Susanna at a reasonable hour. He led her to the dining hall where she was introduced to Isabella.

"My brother's told me much about you," Isabella whispered to her once they were seated (next to each other), "and I must say, you're a very unconvential woman!"

Susanna raised her eyebrows, daring Isabella to say whether she thought this good or bad.

"Could you," Isabella seemed awkward with her question, "teach me a few tips about sword fighting possibly?"

Susanna was pleased that Isabella, too, was `unconventional`. "I'd be delighted to.

* * *

A few weeks passed and Susanna and the outlaws managed to avoid each other. Much, being Much, had told Susanna everything about what they did (when they gave out money, where they gave it out etc.) so she did everything she could to avoid Robin, whilst Robin avoided her.

Allan had to admit that he missed her presence – she irritated him but she was just too interesting to not enjoy having her around. Plus, she was a good kisser.

But it was on a normal tax day when they ran into each other...

* * *

Bump!

"Watch where you're going-" Susanna snapped at the man that she had run into round the corner of the church in Locksley, keeping in her false character. Looking up, though, she saw that it was not an ordinary peasant – but the likes of Allan-a-Dale.

"Oh!" they both exclaimed when they realised who each other were.

Both stood shocked for several moments, before Susanna remembered the necklace and went to get it out to give back to Allan. Unfortunately, Allan mistook this as a sign of her getting a weapon out and started to run in the opposite direction.

Cussing and holding the necklace, Susanna ran after him.

"Wait!" Susanna cried as Allan stopped and turned around, preparing for a brawl.

Susanna finished getting the necklace out and threw it to Allan, who caught it swiftly.

"Thanks for letting me borrow it," she said, smiling broadly.

Susanna took her bag off and started getting out more of the gang's possessions. Allan grinned as he realised this and walked over to her casually, as she gave him more objects.

"You're welcome, Milady."

Susanna finished getting the stuff out and turned to him, asking, "Milady? Why are you calling me Milady?"

"Well, you're upper class now, miss. What with staying in the castle, working for the Sheriff, possibly even friends with the Sheriff-"

"Call me Milady again and I'll-"

"You'll what, Milady?"

Susanna paused and let Allan smirk proudly for only a few seconds before she sharply replied, "Call you Milady, Milady."

Allan's smirk vanished, but a loud laugh replaced it.

"You better be off. Anyone catches us talking and I'm done for it."

Allan started retreating, before stopping and telling Susanna, "By the way, Ellen, I happen to think your clothes that you've got on now are much prettier than the dresses you did wear."

"You should, they are yours," Susanna replied before walking off, leaving a dazed Allan-a-Dale.


	5. Chapter 5 Promotion

**Hey!**

**Sorry it's taken me so long to update and that this chapter's mainly info. on Susanna' background.**

**Reviews are limited in number so if you could, please just give me a minute of your time and review! It's really nice to get reviews. :)**

**You can say...**

**_hey, i like you story_**

**OR**

**_hey, work on your grammar_**

**OR**

**_something else_**

**OR**

**I think you get the point**

**Anyhoo, enjoy! :D**

* * *

Robin sat in the camp, eating his `rabbit` (aka squirrel) and thinking about Susanna or as he called her, Anna. He'd told Much earlier to call her Ellen, for despite his natural thought, he decided it best to keep her undercover from the gang.

Allan still wouldn't let it go, though.

"Why can't you tell us who she is?" he pestered Robin. "We're you gang. I, I mean, we need to know who she is!"

Sensing his friend's frustration, Much stepped in to aid Robin, "What is it with you and her anyway, Allan?"

"I..." Allan looked a bit stumped and this caught everyone's attention, "I kind of like her."

"As in, want to marry her like her, or want to be her friend like her?" Kate teased, emphasising the first option.

Robin stood up and moved to face Allan, "You will not now, nor ever, have a relationship more than friendship with this woman. Do you understand?" Robin boomed.

All went silent in the camp.

Allan looked like he was about to explode at Robin, but couldn't find the words. John, Tuck and Kate looked confused and slightly worried. It was Much (trust Much) to break the silence with stifled laughs.

The tension broke in the group as Robin broke Allan's gaze and stared at Much. "What?" he asked.

"You always were over-protective of Anna." Allan laughed at the idea of Robin protecting a girl from him as Much clasped his hand to his mouth, remembering that they were trying not to remind them of Ellen's real name.

"Anna?" Tuck asked.

"Protective?" John asked.

"Who is she?" Kate asked.

Robin sighed and decided to tell them. "She is my cousin (this earned quite a few gasps) but was raised as my sister. Sorry Allan, but she's out of bounds romantically."

"Not being funny but, I haven't actually said anything romantic about her. You all just assumed that I can't be just friends with an attractive woman." Allan retorted, earning laughs from the men and a glare from Kate, to which he replied with a poked out tongue.

"Anyway, my mother is her mother's older sister. Unfortunately, my aunt was disowned by her parents, but not my mother, because she married a Jew. They had twins, a son and a daughter. The daughter is called Susanna, or Anna as me and Much call her." Robin paused to have a drink of ale – something he needed for Susanna always shook his nerves.

"And her brother?" Tuck asked.

"Wait, wait, wait," Robin replied, his charming smile reappearing on his face. "I'll get to that. Susanna and her brother, who's called Arthur, lived with their parents until they were five. During this time, I didn't see them because they never had a stable home. Susanna's father travelled around, earning money which eventually led to him becoming a money-lender. When Susanna was five, her mother fell ill."

The faces around the group were solemn, fully expecting Susanna's mother to die.

"Since my mother and her mother were still writing to one another now and then, my mother offered for her mother to stay with us. During the next winter, Susanna's mother died. Susanna's father had to go back to work for he was getting quite rich at this time. It was decided by our parents that Susanna was to stay with us, whilst Arthur went with his father. It remained that way for the next few years."

Robin stopped to have another drink and smiled again. "Susanna is wonderful, when she's in the right mood to be wonderful. Her downside is that she's not very sociable, and a compulsive liar. When we were young and played with other children, she would have to create fantastic stories about her mother to ease the pain. Under my influence, Susanna had become quite unlike a young lady, and this was surprisingly okay with her father. Susanna left us after a few years and travelled with her father, but not all the time as she returned to us during summertime most years and also went off on her own now and then. Eventually, the three of them ended up in the Holy Land, assisting the King. Her bother would fight, her father would think, and she would do both. She can read, write, count, shoot, speak several languages and much more. She's incredibly intelligent.

"I look forward to meeting her," Tuck commented.

"You'll like her. You all will," Much said to Tuck at first, then to the others as well.

"Who's her father?" Tuck asked.

"Issac of York," replied Much.

Tuck nodded, Susanna sounded familiar.

"Why are you so angry with her?" John asked Robin. This confused John – Robin talked about her like an adored sister, yet there was obviously anger underneath.

"I'm angry at her for going to war. She followed me, and her brother and father followed her. I thought they were all out there still, but apparently she's returned without them. I'm worried for her welfare – she always just gets out of being killed," Robin answered.

"She was with us and the King when..." Much trailed off. The others nodded, understanding what he meant. "She has a vendetta against Gisborne – I can't imagine why she now wants to work with him."

"All part of her new `plan`." Robin joked, laughter returning to his face.

The rest of the evening was spent with Much and Robin retelling story after story about the odd Susanna of York.

* * *

"The villagers would like you more if you were nicer," Susanna bravely told the Sheriff at dinner.

"I'd like you more if you were nicer, but we can't all wish for the moon," the Sheriff replied. It was true, Susanna had been curt, formal and harsh with the Sheriff, unlike anyone else.

"That being so, if they liked you more, they may work harder to get your money."

Ellen disliked the Sheriff and he knew it. He, however, liked her. She was entertaining and a lot less of a suck up than Gisborne's sister, Isabella. If Ellen wanted something, she would get it no matter what. The Sheriff admired her for that.

"I've decided to promote you," the Sheriff unexpectedly announced after the talking had dimmed.

Susanna looked greatly shocked, as Gisborne stared daggers at her from opposite the table.

"To what?"

"I'm not sure, but you're no longer Gisborne's second-hand man. You can employ a second-hand man for your own if you want. You're now in charge of the peasants around here, their welfare, their punishments and a few other things I'll think of." The Sheriff beamed at her.

"Thank you, sire. May I ask why?" Susanna smiled earnestly.

_Oh yes_, he thought, _she is definitely my favourite over Gisborne now. Gisborne wouldn't question, just accept._

"I like you, for a change. You're pleasant to talk to, unlike Mr. Grim and Miss. Smiley over here," he gestured to Isabella and Gisborne, "and, to top it off, I'll have it signed that if I were to die, you can be the next Sheriff unless there's a problem."

Susanna was speechless. She had expected a job at the castle, but not **this**. Boy, when she finally got round to talking to Robin, would he react to this!

"Thank you!" Susanna smiled at the Sheriff hugely before smiling apologetically at Isabella and her brother.

"May I be excused?"

The Sheriff agreed as Susanna finally went to find Robin.

* * *

**Wasn't that enjoyable? :)**

**If your answer is no, press the reivew button below.**

**If your answer is yes, press the review button below.**

**:P**


	6. Chapter 6 Explanation

6

**Hey! I feel extremely bad to any of you that have waited so long for an update! It's been well over a year! :O My, oh my, doesn't time pass fast? I no longer expect reviews or story updates, because I've been a rotten fanfic author. Sorry!**

**Anyhoo, here's (finally) the sixth chapter!**

**

* * *

**

Susanna spent her time making her way back to the Outlaw's camp. It was, after leaving the castle and riding to Sherwood forest, at an extremely late hour in the night when she finally came up to where she recognised the opening to their camp.

The camp was situated down a steep hill, and had a trap opening that only opened when need be. There was also a small gap at the back of the hill, a sort-of escape route if need be.

Whilst growing up, Much and Susanna had not also got on. For the most part, they fought. However, Susanna was not a selfish child and would never tell any adults when Much annoyed her, because she knew that he would get into far worse trouble for fighting with her than she would with him. Instead, whenever any adults walked in on their fighting, Susanna would create an elaborate lie in order to save Much.

It was for her strangely put affection towards him that he felt it right to trust her with knowledge about the castle; he told her the way to the camp and that if she ever needed to speak to them, but wanted to enter the camp without being almost slaughtered by Robin, that she should drop a small stone down a small, yet long, crack in the hill that was on top of his bed. Once he received such a signal, he would meet her at the back entrance and walk her in, so that the others would not harm her accidentally for being an intruder.

At a very late hour in the morning (or very early hour), Much woke up with the sudden feeling of a sharp, minute object hitting his chest. Groggily sitting up, he inspected said object, before jumping out of bed as quietly as he could and tiptoeing down the back entrance.

"Anna." Much confirmed who he thought would be there. His blind faith in the girl meant that he hadn't even brought a sword down there, because he could not comprehend her betraying them.

"I need to speak to Robin." Was her equally efficient reply.

Much nodded (he was half-asleep so was capable of little else), and led the way through the tunnel.

Susanna let her arms spread out as she felt her way down the tunnel. Much had been there enough times not need to, but it was pitch black and, besides, Susanna wanted to familiarise herself with the entire camp.

Much pointed to a chair where Allan had sat the first time Susanna had been there. (There was a little bit of light in the main areas of the camp, as a couple of torches were left lit for emergencies). He then went off to prod Robin awake.

"Robin," Much whispered, whilst poking Robin's side, "Robin, Robin!"

Being a light sleeper, not much more than that was needed for Robin to clamper up and out of his hammock. ""What, Much?" asked Robin.

"She's here." Much was still very much half-asleep. The situation did not require him to be fully awake, so he did not stir himself any more than his current state. The people would have to accept few-worded sentences from him at that time of night.

Robin accepted it and knew exactly what he meant. He walked the short distance to the main 'hall' of the camp and sat down opposite Susanna.

"Anna, why-?" he began, before being cut off.

"Firstly (Susanna had been riding for the majority of the night and searching for the camp, resulting in her being fully awake), you need to get into the habit of calling me Ellen. I will; be here for a long time. Secondly, stop grimacing at the idea of me being here for a long time, it's for your benefit." At this, Robin sat up and become more attentive to her and less wary of her. He would hear her reasons, at least.

"Ann-, Ellen; would you please just start from the beginning and explain why you're here and how and, and, oh I don't know! Just explain, please."

Susanna stared at her tired cousin. As annoying as he was, he had taught her a great deal of good things and she owed him a lot. This reason being part of the whole reason as to why she was even there.

"I went to the Holy Land to help. My brother and father followed. Whilst there, I saw and did many things, and I became a guard to the King after you left. My father became an advisor. By this time, sadly, we had lost contact with Arthur. It is to my displeasure that I report to you that your cousin is presumed dead."

Robin looked his cousin in the face. In the dim light he could tell that she was only finally getting used to the loss of her brother, meaning that it took a lot of effort for her to convey it with such togetherness. Robin nodded for Susanna to continue.

"We have had word that things are unsettling here in England with Prince John. I am here to earn my way up through the ranks and report back to King Richard. The King denies any allegations that I we make against his brother, including how you are an outlaw working against them! Once a week, I am to send word to King Richard. I only meant to get up to a meagre servant, but I've been promoted higher than my already surprising job!" Susanna's voice rose as she could tell someone her great news at last.

"Which is now?" Robin asked with contempt clear in his voice. She had been sent to become a secret information gatherer for the King, whilst he had to make do with being an outlaw! Life seemed unfair to Robin at that precise moment.

"I oversee the peasant's welfare in nearby towns to Nottingham, including their welfare and punishments." Susanna stayed silent as she saw various emotions go across Robin's face: surprise, hurt, anger, and pride.

"Well done," Robin concluded his thoughts, surprising Susanna with his encouraging attitude.

"I need to return to Locksley now before sunset." Robin simply nodded and walked with her down to back entrance (since her horse was parked not very far from this entrance, it made sense for her to go out that way).

With no words said between the two of them, they hugged goodbye. The hug was started by Susanna, who was bewildered that her cousin would show such affection towards her.

"I'm glad you're back," Robin said over her shoulder.

"It's nice to be back," she replied, breaking away from the hug, "I'll see you often to make donations, and please come to need if you need help with anything." Susanna didn't need to explain to her cousin that he would have to go to her discreetly, because he was an outlaw and knew the dangers already.

The two stood for a moment longer. Susanna wanted to leave, but she could tell that Robin need to say one more thing and was working up to it. "Robin," she asked, "is there anything else?"

"Stay away from Allan," Susanna burst out laughing at this before seeing Robin's serious face in the dim light, "I don't want to have to kick him out of the gang again if he hurts you."

"I almost preferred the angry Robin than this over-protective Robin that I am oh-so used to!" With that, Susanna took her departure, leaving Robin to explain all that had happened to the outlaws who were beginning to wake up, including Much (who had gone back to sleep after all)

**

* * *

Yay! An update! Woo! Finally! :D**


	7. Chapter 7 Delusion

7

**Hey again! I'll try from now on to do an update once a week, but it may have to be every fortnight. I'll try my best. **

**Enjoy!

* * *

**

Susanna woke bright and early to see a not-amused Guy at the end of her bed. After coming to terms with the fact that she was indeed not dreaming, Susanna spat at him, "You do realise how completely inappropriate it is for a man to be in a lady's bedroom before she is dressed?" Guy glared at her so she continued, "Just think of the gossip the town will think up!" Susanna actually didn't have a problem with Guy seeing her in her nightwear, so scrambled out of bed, placed her dressing gown around her muscular yet slim frame, and walked over to her vanity where she began to brush her hair through.

After brushing her, fixing her face, and changing behind her shutters (this she did feel uncomfortable doing, so did it very quickly before her shutters could fall down and Guy see her in a very unladylike way). When she reappeared fully dressed, Guy had turned the other way. How gentleman-like of him, Susanna thought wryly.

"Guy, you have had the pleasure of seeing me get ready for a day, which most men would by now would have lost one of their limbs if they had attempted to, so what is it that you want?" Frustratingly, Guy remained silent. "Guy! Look at me!" After attempts to get him to turn around, Susanna finally lost her cool and stormed over to the other side of the room to where he was. Grabbing his shoulder firmly, she spun him around forcefully, only to be shocked at the face of Allan-A-Dale looking down at her, fully dressed in black.

"What?" she stammered, tripping over backwards. Her tripping developed into falling and as she lifted her head after banging it, she saw the faces of Robin and Much looking down on her with unreadable expressions. Getting to her feet and about to shout for an explanation from anyone around her, she looked around her and saw that she was now completely alone in Sherwood Forest. At least, she presumed that it was Sherwood, but it did look like any other forest.

"Argh! What's happening?" She screamed, before letting out a piercing scream in pain. Susanna collapsed to the earthy floor, clutching her throbbing head. She felt as though her head was being sliced in two like how a butcher cuts a pig, and she continued to scream to no avail.

Her screams and pain continued and worsened to such a degree that Susanna started to pull out her own hair. At this she felt restraints on her arms, yet looking around she could see no one there – her arms were being pulled away from an invisible being. Susanna began to cry from the pain and confusion, she had no idea what was happening to her. Had she gone mad? Had she been poisoned? Was all of this done by magic.

Looking through tearful eyes, she saw Locksley around her, as it was in the days when she was a child. A small boy ran up to her with a head full of chestnut hair and a huge smile on his face. "Anna!" he cried excitedly, "I just shot a rabbit several yards away! My shooting's getting better! Come and see!" The boy then reached down for her hand; as he lifted it Susanna looked down and saw her hand, which was now only half the size of her normal hand. The pain was now gone from her head and she ran with the boy, passing a puddle into which she looked. She saw her seven-year-old self.

Upon reaching the shot rabbit, Susanna fainted from the blood.

* * *

"Put her down gently."

"That's what I'm doing!"

"No you're not, John – you're handling her like a sack of potatoes!"

"Yes, like a sack of potatoes which I happen to love and want to eat so will keep in the best condition!"

"Her head's drooping!"

"Shut up, Much, John's holding her fine!," Allan snapped in-between John and Much's argument. The three of them had been on an early morning patrol when they had come across Susanna's body in the middle of the path. From what they could tell by the tracks, a horse had ridden away from her.

"I just want her to not look so horrible when Robin sees her!"

"When I see who?" The three men looked up to see Robin, Much, Kate and Tuck at the entrance to the camp. In a short space of time, Robin's question didn't need to be answered as fussing over Susanna's feverish body began.

This is what had happened:

It had been several months since Robin and Susanna had made up (and Robin warned Susanna about thinking of Allan romantically) and things had been running smoothly. Susanna found every spare bit of bread or money and gave it to Robin to disperse among the poor. Susanna's status had been raised to Lady Susanna, after an eventful visit from Prince John (who was currently still staying in Nottingham). Once a week, Susanna would visit the outlaw camp for a small gathering, a 'party'-like gathering. Last evening, however, Susanna had been feeling ill but determined to be able to get home alone. The next morning, Much, Allan and John had found her having a fit in the middle of the woods.

After making Susanna comfortable in one of the hammocks (it was Allan's, because his was the sturdiest), the outlaws all sat around the camp, whilst Tuck attended to her fever and Robin paced.

"Robin, she can't stay here," Kate gently said. Kate was highly listened to by Robin, mainly due to the romantic relationship between them that had begun a few months ago due to Susanna and Allan's jokes.

"Yes. She. Can." Came the reply through gritted teeth.

"They'll notice she's gone," Much supported Kate.

It was a tough decision to make. Either return Susanna in some complicated way to the castle, and risk her fever worsening, possibly causing death. Or keep her in the camp until she fully recovered, causing a major search to start by the Sheriff, who had become attached to his most trusted employee.

After debates and arguments, where everyone participated, it was Tuck's word that she was likely to get ten times worse should they move her that helped Robin make his decision.

Until her fever was gone, Susanna was staying with the outlaws.


	8. Chapter 8 A Surprising Change

8

**Oh, good grief. I really am awful at updating, aren't I? The once a week thing turned into once a year. **

**Disclaimer: Allan-a-Dale would NOT have died if I owned Robin Hood BBC. 'Nuff said.

* * *

**

"Robin, she's getting better."

Tuck's words could not have been met with more gladness. Robin had been elated at how quickly Susanna had been getting better. The unfortunate downside was the difficulty of returning her.

The last two weeks went by in a flash...for Susanna, who was mostly unconscious. For the others it had been turmoil. Guards had been sent to raid each nearby village in search of Susanna, and this meant in less money being earned by the villagers who had their daily business distributed by armed men turning over tables and smashing their market stalls. Also, the guards fancied that, if they had to search a house, they might as well take a few belongings, resulting in Robin and his gang working overtime to return belongings.

One week more and Susanna was fully better, and could be conscious enough to help decide how she would return.

"I need a really good lie that no one will be able to see through," Susanna stated as a conversation opener when she was eating what would be her last meal at the outlaw camp (of that particular stay).

"We had worked that much out already, princess," Allan never was late to make a jibe at Susanna.

"Hilarious," the dagger shot she sent at Allan could have cut through wood, "but my name is Ellen, not princess."

"It's Anna, actually," Allan shot back, staring daggers across the circle at Susanna.

"Susanna to you," for a split moment, Allan looked hurt by what she had said, but, being Allan, he covered his hurt with bemused amusement.

Robin could sense flirting amongst them and looked on aimlessly at the two of them. They continued to argue for a while longer and everyone was finding their bickering too amusing to stop them. That was up until this point:

Allan had sidled over to Susanna and was sat closer to her than Robin would have liked, "Well, _princess_, you only enjoy annoying me because I'm so good-looking to look at when you speak to me."

"It's the other way around, or do you not remember how I distracted you?"

Silence erupted around the circle as the outlaws realised that something had gone on between the two of them that they had not been aware of.

"Allan!" Robin practically screeched, causing Allan to stop looking in Susanna's eyes, but to jump up. "Enough of that!"

"Enough of what?" Allan was feeling particularly annoyed at being split up from Susanna, whom he had been longing to kiss again. She smelt particularly nice (due to her constant care for her hair) and he wanted little more than to hold her for a long, long time.

"Anna's out of bounds!" Robin boomed, causing startled looks from the rest of the outlaws, who were not used to protective-Robin.

"For the last time, you need to call me Ellen!" Susanna cried, standing up to join Robin and Allan at their level, whilst the others remained seated. Then it dawned on Susanna as to what Robin had actually said, "And what do you mean 'out of bounds'?"

"Come off it, you know he's been weasling his way into your life ever since you arrived here! Flirting here, flirting there!"

The outlaws felt physically scared by the expressions on Susanna's and Allan's faces.

They exploded together:

"What? That's such a lie! And it's none of your business!" Susanna screamed.

"She's a grown woman, Robin! Let her make her own decisions!" Allan shouted.

"No. She is my sister," Robin said on a much quieter, yet more sinister, level, "Ellen, you are to return to the castle. Say you wanted a trip to some far away town, you think up one, but feel ill and have had to stay at inn. If they ask you what inn, say you were so feverish you don't know. Leave now. Go the long route to the north road, so that any guards who find you will not be surprised that you're off the path."

"And if I want to stay?" Susanna, by this stage, was far past mere anger at her brother, and so reached out and held Allan's hand to tip him over the edge. But what actually did it was Allan holding Susanna's hand back.

The rest of the outlaws watched on in terror at the comical, yet scary, scene that developed before their eyes.

Robin lunged across the area to Allan and tackled him to the floor, where the two of them preceded to have a very scrappy fight.

Susanna, feeling left out considering that she was a large reason as to why they were fighting, jumped on Robin and proceed to punch his head from behind. Being distracted by Susanna, Allan managed to cause more damage to Robin than he had intended to.

At the final, Allan stormed to his bunk and packed up his things. "I'm off for a while until you learn how to be sane again," he spat at Robin.

Susanna joined him in collecting her stuff. Allan had accumulated a fat lip and Susanna a black eye. Robin just had a whole load of bruises forming across his face.

"Don't leave together!" feeling useless as nothing he said was being taken seriously, Robin felt his voice fading.

"Just try to stop us," Susanna retorted before leaving with Allan in tow, who looked glumly around the circle at his friends.

A few hours later, Susanna asked Allan, "You could come and stay at the castle with me." Allan could tell from her optimistic tone that she had been working up to saying this for a while.

"I can't betray them again," he whined, desperately wanting to stay with Susanna. She was a huge source of entertainment for him.

"You won't, I'll say that I found you drunk in a bar, having been kicked out of the gang. You now want to be my assistant," Susanna thought her plan excellent.

"You don't already have one?"

"He'll get another job from me," Susanna chirped happily, "so?"

Allan stopped, and brought Susanna round to face him, "Sounds good to me."

Allan was about to continue walking before Susanna pulled him by his shoulders to face her again. In the dim moonlight she could make out his swollen lip. "I hope this doesn't hurt you too much." With saying nothing else she slowly raised herself the extra distance, very slowly.

Allan could tell her intentions and lowered his head the small distance to hers. Then, at the last moment, Susanna rushed up and met his lips with hers. She was more worried this time, since last time's kiss had been a mere way of getting away. This time it meant something.

The kiss was not long, and was not passionate. It was a only a plain way of saying, 'We're going somewhere'. And with that arranged, the two of them walked hand and hand to Nottingham castle.

* * *

**So, when I started this chapter, I did not see that coming! Ah, well, I think it's nice.**

**Also...if you still have this story on your alerts list, then you are a very patient person. Thank you.**


	9. Chapter 9 Allan Gets Stunned

9

**Yay! I actually managed to keep to my one-a-week plan this week! Whoop whoop.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the show. Never have. Never will.

* * *

**

Allan-a-Dale had spent much time in his life in prisons, jails, dungeons and places generally equipped with bars. It was the result of being a thief.

Yet this time, he view his position behind bars as really quite unfair for all he had done to be put there was ask, very politely, for a job.

But then again, it was the Sheriff of Nottingham he had asked.

Ha and Susanna had bravely strolled up to the gates of Nottingham, been allowed through, and waltzed straight through the castle to where the Sheriff, Guy and Isabella were having their morning meal. No guards had stopped him, for he was with Susanna, but they had on-looked the pair with very bemused looks.

The Sheriff, however, took one glance at Allan asking for a job, and had him arrested immediately.

On reflection of all that had happened, Allan was not very sure if he had done an incredibly foolish act, and incredibly stupid act, or an incredibly brave act. Those three aspects also seemed to go together.

Before entering the castle, the two of them had sent back a message to the outlaws to inform them of their plan, and that they should be happy that they now have two insiders. Susanna thought that Robin would understand. Allan, the more realistic, failed to see how any of the gang would ever take him back if he worked for the Sheriff. Again.

It would now be a sensible point for Susanna to fully become Ellen, as everyone had now got their heads around calling her Ellen.

Two weeks after feeling glum about being but in Nottingham's dungeons (yet again), and Allan was still feeling glum. He had been fed twice a day and had seen no human except his guards and food-bringers. And the food was not even nice.

There was one thing that Allan was pleased about. A couple, in fact. Firstly, he was not dead. This would mean that Ellen was having a somewhat successful time convincing the Sheriff and Guy as to not kill him.

The second was that his stay in prison, despite the hunger and uncomfortable sleeping positions, was a bit like a holiday. Allan could laze about and do no work, something not common for an outlaw in Robin's gang.

Two more weeks later, and Allan had gotten bored of his 'holiday'.

So, luckily for him, that was the day that the Sheriff called him up to his dining hall. To Allan's surprise, he was not required to wear shackles.

"My, my, Mr Dale. It has been a long time," the Sheriff casually greeted Allan, as if he were a dear friend and not someone he had constantly tried to kill.

"Too long," Allan easily matched his happy tune, feeling it to be a somewhat safe idea.

He noticed Ellen and Guy standing either side of where the Sheriff sat, and how Ellen was looking at Allan with an overdone loving look, whilst Guy was glaring at Allan, as if trying to kill him with looks alone.

"Do you know why you were kept in the cells for so long?" the Sheriff continued after a brief pause for staring Allan up and down, as if disgusted by his forest clothes and not his old leather ones.

"To catch up on some need sleep," he chimed, resulting in a growl from Guy, "cheers for that." Another growl emerged.

"Hilarious," scarily, the Sheriff's smile was now plastered onto his face and was not moving, like a child who had one a toy in the market, "but to see if your outlaw friends would come and rescue you. Clearly they're not your friends after all."

Allan took this in, and could see the reasoning behind it. Whenever an outlaw was in prison, the gang would break him out in under a week, usually. So, if he was in there for more than four weeks, then the Sheriff could be assured that no rescue was on its way, and that Allan was really an outlaw no more.

"I guess not," was all Allan could find to say. The complete opposite of stares from Ellen and Guy were starting to freak him out.

After a long pause of thinking from the Sheriff, Allan realised that the Sheriff had been staring at Allan staring at Ellen and Guy staring at Allan. "Ignore Guy, Allan, he's just jealous that Ellen loves you and not him."

_So that explains why Guy's trying to kill me with facial expression, but – what? Did the Sheriff just say that Ellen...loves...me? What?_ These were the thoughts in Allan's head.

Meanwhile, Guy had stormed out of the hall due to embarrassment or anger, neither of which Allan cared about. He was set stone still by the comprehension of Ellen loving him.

"Any outlaw business from you, and I'll have you killed. Understood?" Allan managed a weak nod, stone still.

"You can be your sweetheart's new assistant, as she has spent the last month begging for you to be." More stone still nodding from Allan.

"Leave and get changed," Allan, still stuck in the spot had to be told twice, "NOW!" The Sheriff bellowed, demonstrating that his quick anger had not left him.

Allan only just made it to his old room to collapse on the bed from sheer confusion.

_Ellen? Love? Me?_

_LOVE?

* * *

_

"Get up, you lazy sod," was the lovely greeting that Allan had the pleasure of being woken up with.

Allan flipped onto his back and looked up at Ellen, who had a disapproving look on his face, clearly telling Allan that he should be already changed.

After more staring and no movement at all from Allan, Ellen cried, "You can't stay all day, you oaf!"

Allan struggled with his mouth hanging open, trying to find the correct phrase. All that came out was, "Lul...lul...love?" Allan's voice broke when he squeaked out the last word.

"Oh," it struck Ellen as to Allan's statue-like daze, "I don't love you! But we need to pretend that we love each other, otherwise the Sheriff will question your motives for coming here!"

"Oh! I get it!" said Allan, who happened to only half get it.

Sensing his incomplete understanding, Ellen explained, "When I came back, I needed a really good reason for being away **and** for bringing you with me. So, I said that I had run away from pressures here, but stumbled into you running away from the outlaws, who consider you an outlaw to them. We spent a few weeks falling madly in love, before realising that we could prosper together better back here. So we've returned. Together. In love."

Allan felt relieved, if not slightly sad, that Ellen did not love him. Women in love always lead to disastrous conclusion, in his opinion.

And that is exactly what happened with Ellen.

* * *

**Boo-yeah! Two updates in a fortnight, I'm proud!**


End file.
